Machine for scrubbing or washing meats.



No. 644,400. Patented Feb. 27, I900. M. E. BROOKS.

MAGHINEFOR SGBUBBING 0B WASHING MEATS] (Application filed Jan.'29,1898.)

(N0 lludal.)

Nrrnn Erica.

MAYNARD E. BROOKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE Sl/VIFT &

COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR SCRUBBING OR \NA SHlNG MEATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,400, dated February27, 1900. Application filed January 29, 1893. gerial No. 668,385. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAYNARDE. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Scrubbingor \Vashing Meats, of which the following isa specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to machines for washing or scrubbing pieces ofmeatsuch, for

instance, as hams-and has for its object to provide certain improvementsin machines of this character, my improvements relating particularly tothe mechanism for delivering the meats from the carrier by which theyare conveyed while subjected to the washing or scrubbing devices.

In the accom panyin g drawings I haveillustrated my improvement asapplied to a meatscrubbing machine of the type illustrated in LettersPatent of the United States No. 554,707, to WVilliam W. Michner, datedFebruary 18, 1896, in which the ham or other piece of meat is conveyedby a suitable endless belt between horizontal and verticalscrubbing-brushes; but it should be understood that while my improvementis well adapted for application to a machine of the type illustrated itis not necessarily limited to use with machines having the scrubbingdevices arranged and operating as described in said patent.

In machines of the type referred to it is customary to convey the ham orother piece of meat through the machine by providing the carrier-beltwith a plurality of arms or lugs adapted to receive the thongs usuallysecured to one end of the piece of meat, the meat being thereby drawnalong-between the scrubbing devices as the carrier moves. For thepurpose of releasing the pieces of meat after they have been scrubbedstationary curved shields or guides have heretofore been providedarranged to intercept the meat as it moved along and designed to raiseit high enough to release the thongs from the carrierarms. Thisconstruction, however, I have found to be very unsatisfactory andinefficient in operation, as frequently the pieces of meat are notproperly released from the carrier,

and consequently are carried around the end of the carrier and damaged.Furthermore, where the pieces of meat are properly detached from thecarrier by said shields they remain upon the shields, interfering withthe release of subsequent pieces of meat and necessitating theemployment of a man to remove them, so that the machine may properlyoperate. I have discoveredthat by providing the carrying devices withdetaching and delivery mechanism which acts positively to raise thepieces of meat and detach them from the carrier and then deliver theminto a suitable receptacle placed to receive them the objections abovepointed out may all be overcome and. the use of an extra hand entirelydispensed with.

In its best form my improved detaching and delivery mechanism consistsof a pair of revolving cylinders or wheels placed one at each side ofthe carrier near the delivery end thereof, said cylinders being arrangedto project a short distance above the upper ends of the carrier-arms. Bythis construction when the pieces of meat arriveat the cylinders theyare positively carried up until the thongs by which they are connectedto the carrier-arms are detached from said arms, when the pieces of meatare carried over by the cylinders and discharged upon the floor or intoa receptacle placed to receive them, the operation being thus madeentirely automatic.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more detailed descriptionof my inven tion, Figure 1 is a plan View, and Fig. 2 a verticalsection, on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

3 indicates the frame of the machine, and 4: an endless belt or carrierby which the pieces of meat are conveyed between the scrubbing devices.

5 indicates a sprocket-wheel arranged atthe delivery end of the carrierupon a suitable shaft 6, which wheel carries one end of the carrier 4.

7 8 indicate cylinders or wheels which are mounted upon the shaft 6, oneat each side of the sprocket-wheel 5, said wheels being somewhat greaterin diameter than the sprocketwheel 5, as shown in Fig. 2.

9 indicates carrier-arms,which are arranged to receive the thongscarried by the pieces of meat. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper portions ofthe cylinders 7, 8 rise above the table 10 of the machine slightlyhigher than the upper ends of the carrier-arms 9 and project beyond theend of the table to permit them to carry forward and deliver the meatinto a receptacle, as explained later 011.

In the apparatus illustrated in the drawings the shaft 6 is caused torotate by a sprocket-wheel 11, driven from any suitable source ofpowerthrough shafts 12 13, the shaft 12 being that upon which thesprocket-wheel 11 ismounted and being geared to the shaft 13 by beveledgears 14 15, the shaft 13 being geared to the shaft 6 by beveled gears16 17, as shown in Fig. 1. By this construction by rotating thesprocket-wheel 11 the shaft 6 will be rotated, correspondingly rotatingthe sprocket-wheel 5 and cylinders 7 8 and moving the upper portion ofthe carrier-belt in the same directionas the upper portions of thecylinders 7 8. The sprocket-wheel 11 is so rotated as to move the upperportion of the carrier-belt 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow inFig. 1.

18 19 indicate vertically-arranged scrubbing-brushes, one being placedat each side of the carrier-belt 4,which brushes are driven from theshaft 12 by beveled gears 20 21.

22 23 indicate horizontally arranged brushes, which are also driven fromthe shaft 12 by a link belt 24, running over suitable sprocket-wheels.the brushes 18, 19, 22, and 23 may, however, be varied, and thesebrushes may be otherwise arranged, if desired.

25 indicates a truck placed to receive the pieces of meat as they aredischarged from the washing-machine.

The operation of the apparatus above described is as follows: The piecesof meat are attached to the carrier 4 by thongs looped over thecarrier-arms 9, as already suggested, and as the carrier moves in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 they are drawn between thebrushes and duly scrubbed. After passing the brushes the pieces of meatarrive at the cylinders 7 8 and by the rotation of such cylinders arecarried along, being at the same time raised sufficiently to detach themfrom the carrier. The continued rotation of the cylinders 7 8 continuesthe The apparatus for driving progressive movement of the pieces of meatnotwithstanding their detachment from the carrier, and they areconsequently carried over the end of the machine and discharged into thetruck 25 or other receptacle placed to receive them, the entireoperation being automatic and positive, so that there is no liability ofclogging the machine or injuring the meat.

If desired, the peripheries of the cylinders 7 8 maybe roughened orprovided with lugs or other suitable devices to secure a more positiveengagement with the pieces of meat.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. In a meat-scrubbing machine, in combination with a frame supportingashaft, a pulley mounted on said shaft, a carrier passed over saidpulley at one end of the machine and consisting of an endless belthaving arms projecting upward from the surface thereof, scrubbingdevices adapted to act upon the meat, rotary cylinders of greaterdiameter than said pulley mounted on said shaft on opposite sides ofsaid pulley and projecting above the ends of said arms, said cylindersbeing adapted to receive the meat from thecarrier and to deliver thesame, and means for rotating said cylinders in the direction of movementof said carrier, substantially as described.

2. In a meat-scrubbingmachine, in combination with a frame supporting ashaft, a pulley mounted on said shaft, a carrier passed over said pulleyat oneend of the machine and consisting of an endless belt having armsprojecting upward from the surface thereof, scrubbing devices adapted toact upon the meat, rotary cylinders of greater diameter than said pulleymounted on said shaft on opposite sides of said pulley and projectingabove the ends of said arms, and beyond the end of the machine, saidcylinders being adapted to receive the meat from the carrier and todeliver the same,and means for rotating said cylinders in the directionof movement of said carrier, substantially as described.

MAYNARD E. BROOKS.

Vitnesses:

II. 0. GARDNER, bro. (3. MAssIE.

